Screen-separator



T. L. STURTEVANT. SCREEN sEPARAToR.

APPLICATION FILED JUIAYZZ 19.20'. Y

Patented Nov. 15', 1921.

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T. L. STURTEVANT.

SCREEN SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION HLED 1u1Y22,192o.

- .nvenpdarf T. L. STUHTEVANT.

SCREEN SEPARATOR. Y APPLICATION man JULY 22.1920.

339. Patented Nov. 15, 1921.,

T. L. STURTEVNT. SCREEN SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY 22.1920.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

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'THOMAS L. sfrunrnvnu'r, or Quincy, MASSACHUSETTS, Asslsuon 'ro sTURTEvANr- MILL coMrANY, 'or Bestron. MASSACHUSETTS, aoonronnronor Mns,sAGHUQ-v4 snrrs.

To all zo/wm t may concern:

Be it known that l, THorms L. S'run'rnvAN'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Quincy, inthe county of NorfolkV and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Screen- Separatore, which the following description', in connec tion with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

T he invention to be hereinafter described relates to screen separators for grading ma-` terials.

rl`hesev separators may be employed for grading a great variety of materials to varying degrees of fineness. ln some instances it is desirable to employ screen clothing of very fine mesh, usually ofV woven bronze wires of relatively smallV tensile strength as compared to Steel wires. It hasbeen customary to stretch the clothing on its frame so as to cause the same to lie in flat,

taut condition, but it is impossible to stretch the clothing without elongating the wires more or 'less with resultant enlargement of the meshes or openings `in the cloth-- ing. As a consequence, when materials are graded, they are not reduced to the ineness' intended to be obtained by the clothing. Also, certain materials graded are of a heavy character, and the mass thereof passing over the clothing is so great that the clothing is required to support heavy weights of materials which are liable to cause the clothing to sag and become further stretched.

One of the purposes of the present invention, therefore, is to provide means for supporting the screen clothing in a manner such that it is unnecessary to tension the wires of the clothing, but,` on the contrary, theV clothing may rest upon rthe supporting means in flatbut unstretched condition.

lt is desirable that the screen clothing shall be vigorously vibrated so as to maintain the meshes thereof in open condition for efficient grading effect. Another purpose of the invention, therefore, isto provide a support or means beneath the clothing which will have a strong, sturdy character efficiently to support the weight of the materials on the clothing, but at the same time of a resilient character such that it may be susceptible. of lively vibratory movement,

and f vigorously, thump or flap aganstthe;

SCREEN-SEPARATOB..

i kSpecification of Letters Patent.

of the invention, this is` accomplished byk means `of cams beneath the supporting means which may have `peripheral and late` eral projections for imparting complex vibrfatory .movements to the supporting Ineansi lll/'ith the aforesaid and other purposesyin view, the character of the invention will be best understood by reference to the follow-` ing` description of one goodlformth'ereof shown` in the accompanyingr drawings, wherein j Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a separator embodying the inven-` tion;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken-on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; y

Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale is a plan of the screen clothing and itslsupportingmeans, a portion of the Vformerbeing broken away:` more clearly to disclose the latter; j

Fig. 4 on anfenlarged scale is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; f

Fig. 5 is an end view of the construction shown in Fig. '3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a step in the manufacture of the table; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion ofthe table showing the appearance 4of the-y bottom thereof. Y

Referring to the drawings, the separator shown therein as one good form of therinvention, comprises a casing 1 having a cover 3 connected by hinges 5 with the casing ad-` jacent the upper end thereof. Mounted on the top of the casing is a feed box` 7 con taining a screw conveyer 9 for feeding the materials along the feed boxand over` the,- feed board 11 suspended by hangers 13;` which may be adjusted `to vary the elevation of the feed board with respect tothe bottomof the feed box as desired. Beneaththe` feed box is an inclined spill board 15 for guiding the materials flowing over Vthe feedY board into the upper end of the casing 1.

The supporting means for thescreen, in the present instance of the invention,l com@ prises a table, plat-cor apron 17 which may.l desirably beformed of a plurality of sections l?, 2l* ando {Eig-3% Bash'..Ofrthesaseap Patented Nov.. 15,1921. Application `led July 22, 1920. Serial'No. 398,245.

, srarss referir errate.N l

tions may be formed vcfa sheet metal body 25 having depending flanges 2.7 and 29 at the so that strengthening flanges 33 may be pro- `vided depending from the body of the plate,

and .preferably surrounding theV apertures. ln they present instance of the invention, the apertures are formed so asto present inwardly extending curved portions or projecl tions 35, the construction` being such that if required.`

when these pc tions or projections are bent downward from the plane of the body 25 from theposition shown in Fig. 6 to their position shown in F ig. 7, they will afford strong, truss-likestrengthening elements for the body 25. These strengthening elements at ythejedge's of the apertures, and the depending side and'end'flanges 2 7 and 29 of the plate'eliiciently strengthen the plate and enable the same to support heavy weights.

The sections 19, 2l and 23 formed as described, may be assembled so that the flanges 29 ofV adjacent sections may abut against eachother and constitute a continuous table or support substantially as shown in'Fig. 3.

The flangges 29 may be bolted kor otherwise secured together, thereby enabling Yready substitution of new sections for old sections VProjecting upward from the opposed longitudinal edges of the table, are side plates 37 rising a substantial distance above the plane of the table. These side plates may serve tostiffen the sides of the table, to prevent materials flowing downward along the screen from escape over the side edges thereof, and may also serve as convenient means for detachable connection with the screen mounted on the table, as more fully hereinafter described.

Screens of varying character may be mounted on the table described. In the present instance of the invention, a screen is shown comprising screen clothingV 39 Ywhich may be.of fine or coarse character.

In the present instance, jthe yclothing is formed of wovenbronze wire of fine mesh, having its margins tacked or otherwise secured to side members or bars il of wood or "other suitable-material, in the present instance, detachably secured to the side plates 37 by bolts 243, the construction being such that the clothing rests upon the longitudinal' and cross bars afforded between the apen tures of the table described. vThe adjustment of the side members 41 is such that the wires of the clothing are not stretched, and the meshes of the clothing are not enlarged, but the clothing rests on the table without distortion thereof or loss of the original meshes of the'clothing.

Having described the support-ing' table and the screen .restingthereom next will be described means for' supporting the table. This means, in the present instance of the invention, comprises longitudinal members f or j channelsl 45V vpreferably extending.A the lengthof the table. Mounted on these channels are transverse members 47 having edge Anally of said members. Therefore, the channels and cross members constitute a frame of a highly resilient character susceptible of pronounced andcomplex vibratoiy movements for efficiently vibrating the supporting table and the screen, as more fully hereinafter described.

Any suitable means may beprovided for vibrating this frame. To accomplish this, in the present instance, cams 53 may be provided, each preferably made intwo parts so as to Vbe eadily clamped on shafts 55 which may extend across the casing 1 and have end portions thereof'journaled in bearings5'7 mounted on angle bars 59 having their ends secured to the side walls of the casing externally'thereof. i

These angle bars may be of a flexible,resili ent character, such that the bearings may be susceptible of more or less movement which will further contribute to efiicientvibration of the screen.

Each of the cams may have humps or projections 6l on the periphery thereof, the Y number of which may be varied as desired. Coperatingv with the peripheral humps of the cams are followers conveniently in the form of rollers 63 mounted on shafts 65 carried bythe depending flanges of the channels 45. The construction is suohthat on rotation of the cams, the humps thereof will progressively engage Vand thump the rollers, and thereby vibrate the screen sup-` porting frame and table. Preferably the cams are rotated out of step so that the screen will be rocked laterally and-longitudinally and 'with complex movements caused by the out of step thumpings of the cams. This, will cause the longitudinal channels to undulate'or vibrate longitudinally with a snake-lilre motion, andV cause the transverse members onthe channels" to undulate or vibrate with a snake-like movement which will be' furthermodiiied by other vibrations occasioned by the transverse curvature and resilience of the transverse members. These vibrations of the frame are in turn transmitted to the table, and since the screen clothing rests upon the table, these vibrations will be transmitted from the latteryto the screen. Since the scree clothing is not stretched, it will be free to flap against the table throughoutthe area of the clothing, and thus the latter Till be vigorously vibrated throughout, so that the j ing above said bars while the clothing isV flapping up away fromv said bars, the transverse` curvature of the latter serving to desirably deflect the materials flowing through the clothing to the apertures in the table.

in some instances it may be desirable not only to provideethe cams with peripheral projections, but also to provide the same with lateral projections for imparting lateral shaking movements tothe frame, table and screen. In the present instance, the cams are provided with lateral knobs or projections 67 adapted to `engage followers, inthe present instance, `in the forni of wedges G9 secured to depending flanges of the channels 45. The construction is such thaton rotation of the cams, the lateral projections will engage and thump against the wedge followers 69 and impart lateral shakinnl movements to the screen.

rThe cams may be so located as to support the screen in inclined position, in order that the materials delivered by the spill board l5 referred to, may flow downward along` the screen. Suitable means may beA provided for preventing the screen from sliding down.

ward off from the cams. This means, in thel present instance. comprises hanger rods 7l (Fig. l) having their upper ends entered through holes in the upper end of the 'iasing and provided with adjusting and lock nuts 75. At the lower end of the hanger rods are chains 77 connected to bolts 78 attached to the channels.

rlhe tendency of the cams in the courseof their rotation is to thrust the frame, table and" screen upwardly if the cams are rotated in a clockwise direction (Fig. l). Suitable means may be provided yieldingly to oppose such movement. This'means, in the present instance, comprises rods 79 haring ends attached tothe frame, and portions extended through brackets 8l, coil springs 82 being mounted on said rods andcontined between said brackets' and' nuts on said rods; The

construction is such that the springs will react against the brackets c, and 1 operate through the rodsqto yieldingly draw the frame downward until limited by ythe hanger `and chains referred to.

rllhe cover may have curtains or platestllig. 2). depending therefrom and coperating with the plates 3l' referred to, to pre rent escape of materials over the sides of the screen. y

ln operation, the materials to be graded are introduced into the feed box and fed by the conveyer screw 9 along the same. rlfhe materials will How over the feed board ll, gravitate downward to the spill board l5, and he deflected by thelatter onto the upper end of -the screen.k They will flow down-V ward along the screeinand the coarser materials will be delivered to anopening 85V communicatingwith an opening in the bottom of the casing, while the fines will pass through the screen into the chamber 87, and be delivered through another opening in the bottomaof the casing.KV The screen will he vigorously vibrated by the means described so as to maintain themeshes of the clothing in open condition for efficient grading effect. The flanges of the channels will desirably protect the cams and their` rollers from the materials flowing downward past the same, and thus the cams and rollers will be protected from the abrading effect which would occur if the materials were allowed to fall thereon. The rchannels will not reduce the eflicient area of the screen, since they are located a substantial distance beneath the plane of the screen, and materials passing Vthrough the screen striking the backs of the channels may readily flow off from the same. Also, the transverse members l5 will not re'.- duce the effective screening area ofy the clothing, since any materials striking said members may readily flow off from the saine1 The cover 3 ofthe casing may be readily opened when it is desired to expose the screen clothing for purposes of inspection, adjustment or repair thereof, and the entire area of the "clothing is without obstruction so that materials thereon may` he readily` swept therefrom if desired, although there is little occasion for sweeping the materials from the clothing, owing to the. eilicient ribration thereof, which keeps tlie'meshes .of the clothing always in open condition.

The screen, table and supporting frame may be readily removed from the casing as a unit if desired. Tok accomplish this, it is merely necessary torelease the hangers 7l and 79 thereby allowing the supporting framefto be readily disconnected ytherefrom and lifted oif from the cams out of the casing. i I i. i

Since the screen clothing is connected to its support by the side members extending longil tudinallysof the clothing, the ends of the readily flow along the clothing without hinrected to the next adjacent apertures.

drance. hen it is desired to substitute new clothing lfor old clothing, it is'merely necessary to release the bolts 43 from the 'side plates 4:7, thereby'permitting the clothing to be quickly? and easily lifted from the table.'

Then new clothing may bemounted on the tablegand the side members thereof `may be easily and readily bolted tothe side plates, and the change will be effected with a minimum loss of time. v

The apertures in the table may be variously disposed, but preferably they are in staggered relation, the construction being such that anymaterials falling on the curvedV bars between the apertures, if not deflected laterally therebyl through the apertures, will flow along the longitudinal bars and be diifis a consequence, the finer materials passing through the screen clothing will be sure to flow readily through the aperturesl-'in the table. p

In some cases it may be desirable to provide a screen beneath the screen described,

furtherto grade materials. The perforated plate having the depending strengthening flangesdesirably coperates with the lower screen, since the material passing through the apertures may strike the ldepending flanges and be checked in its descent so as to be desirably distributed to the lower screen and fall with substantially equal velocity and thereby contribute to equal secondary gradation of the material.

It will be noted that the frame, table screen are supported on the cams independently of the casing, and that the screen is not connected to or stretched betweenthe side walls of the casing. As a consequence, the frame, table and Vscreen are susceptible ol bodily movement relatively tov the casing when 'thumped by the supporting cams. This produces a pronounced vigorous vibration of the screen7 materiallymore edective in keeping the meshes of the clothing in open condition than if the screen were connected to the walls of the casing.

It is desirable that the apertured table shall be connected to the ends only of the curved resilient transverse bars 47, so that the portion of the table between the margins thereof thus secured may slap up `and down against the transverse bars and against the clothing above the table. acting out of step on the channels will im# part a great variety of vibrations to the resilient channels and transverse bars and thence to the table and clothing. The channels will have up and down and lateral Vundulatory movements and reciprocatory move- Vments in the direction of the length of the channels The'transverse bers will have up The cam humps" and down undulatory movements `and reciprocatory movements in the direction of toe length thereof. Since the transverse bars connected to the baclrs of the channels at transverse bars', flexion of the latter cause lthe ends'of the bars to kmove' up down with desirable amplitude of'move- ,15a`nd these movements in turn will be itted tothe marginsof the rtable sethereto. is a consequence,the frame, aole and clothing are so vigrously shaken the meshes in the clothing cannot Vbe clogged, but on the contrary are maintained open for eicient gra ling effect. A l my intentionv is provided .a separator v7hieh is simple and strong in construction, .ctura and not liable to get out of order. is capable of efficiently gradinga great variety of materials with rapidity acter oi the vibration obtained by the means described is such that certain materials of adhesive or Vsticky character which hitherto could not be graded, may be readily screened' by this separator.`V

lt will be understood that the invention is notr limited to the specific embodiment shown, and that various deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

l/Vhat is claimed is l. A separator for grading materials, coinprising, in combination, a frame includingV channels and transverse members connected to said channels,'a table of sheet material mounted on said frame having a multiplicity of perinations` `therein with strengthening flanges depending from said perforations, side pla" -s secured to said table, a screen secured side plates and having clothing resti said apertured table, and means opera gthrough said frame and table for causing ythe clothing to slap against Said of sections having marginal iianges secured together, cach of said sections having apertures therein with marginal flanges depending from said apertures, a screen having clothing resting on said table, and mfans to' shake the table and clothing and cause the latter to slap agaIlSt the former and of operation, and indeed the char-V maintain the meshes of the clothing in open condition.

li. A separator for grading materials, comprising, in combination, a table having a multiplicity of apertures therein provided with marginal truss iianges to strengthen the table, a screen having clothing resting on the table, and means to shake the table and cause the clothing to slap against the same to maintain the meshes oi' the clothing in open condition.

5. A separator Jfor grading materials, comprising, in combination, a sectional plate having a multiplicity of tlanged holes punched therein, a screen having side members secured to said plate and clothing eX- tending over said plate between said side members and resting on said plate Without tension, and means to shake said plate and cause said clothing to slap against the same to keep the meshes off the clothing in open condition.

6. A separator for grading materials, comprising, in combination, a table formed of sheet material and having a multiplicity of apertures punched therein in staggered relation, a screen having clothing resting on said table, and means beneath said table for supporting it in an inclined position and operable to shake said table and cause the clothing to slap ,against the table and keep the meshes thereof in open condition.

7. A separator for grading materials,

comprising, in combination, a trame, means Y for supporting and energetically shaking the frame, a sheet metal apron carried by said frame having a multiplicity oi'apertures therein, and a screen having clothing resting on said table and vibrated thereby.

8. A. separator for grading materials, comprising, in combination, a frame provided With transverse resilient bars arranged at spaced intervals, a perforated apron of sheet material extending over said bars and supported thereby, screen clothing resting upon said apron, and means ttor energetically vibrating said frame to produce vibrations in the transverse bars and to impart said vibrations to the apron and screen clothing to cause the clothing to slap against the apron.

9. A v separator for grading materials, comprising, in combination, a frame com prising channels, cross members mounted on said channels, an apertured plate mounted on said cross members, a screen having clothing resting on said plate, and means operating through said frame for shaking the table and screen, said apertured plate being substantially coextensive With the clothing resting thereupon.

l0. A separator for grading materials, comprising, in combination, an inherently resilient frame, a perforated sheet metal apron extending over the :frame and carried thereby, a screen having clothing resting on said apron, and means to vibrate said trame to cause the apron andclothing to slap against each other and maintain the meshes of the clothing in open condition.

ll. A separator for grading materials,

comprising, in combination, an inherently resilient frame including longitudinal mem* bers and transverse members secured across the longitudinal members at spaced intervals, a perforated sheet metal apron extending over the frame and secured thereto, a. screen having clothing resting on said apron, and means for energetically vibrating the frame to shake the same and produce local vibrations Within the iframe and Within the apron and clothing and to cause the clothing to slap against each other and maintain the meshes of the clothing in open condition.

12. A separator for grading materials, comprising, in combination, an inherently resilient frame including channels and transverse members connected to the channels, a table ci sheet metal carried by said frame and having a multiplicity of perforations therein, a screen having clothing resting on the table, and means for energetically vibrating the frame to shake the same and produce local vibrations Within the trame and Within the apron and Clothing and to cause the clothing to slap against each other and maintain the meshes ofthe clothing in open condition.

ln testimony whereof, l

name to this specification.

THOS. L. STURTEVANT.

have signed my 

